Rossetti initially tells the story through setting, that of the wedding as well as flashbacks detailing experiences within natural surroundings. The poem opens with the description of ‘the church’ this is indicative of the wedding which is running theme of the poem. Presenting the scene so abruptly shows the reader the basis for most of the subsequent events. Furthermore references to blessing the ‘hearth’, ‘board’ and the ‘marriage-bed’ all important aspects of conventional Victorian life express the feelings of Maude wanting to be an important element in the life of her former love; also the intention of blessing the bed seems an almost rude notion due to the emotional and intimate nature of a marriage bed. During the period of flashbacks Maude talks of wading ‘for lilies’, the symbolism of associated with the lily is of purity so the talk of wading for lilies with Thomas is indicative of the purity they once possessed as well as the love they felt whilst children. Leading on from the collection of the lilies, returning the ‘faded leaves’ has connotations of death in an emotional sense: the fading away of the love between Maude and Thomas. In the final line of the seventh stanza, the revelation that the said lilies are ‘budding’ seems to be an expression of a hope for reconciliation despite the circumstances. Presentation of physical developed settings, as well as nature itself, allow Rossetti to not only provide a background for the story but also convey symbolic emotions.
Language is another narrative method employed by Rossetti in telling the story of Maude Clare. Within the poem the language fluctuates between the perspective of the omniscient narrator and the voices of characters within the poem itself. The early comparison between Nell whose is like a ‘village maid’ and Maude described as being ‘like a queen’ is the first insight into the conflict between the aforementioned characters as well as the apparently prominent differences between them. The choice of Thomas to marry the lesser of the two portrays him as a de facto villain rather than Maude Clare as a bitter former lover. Thomas’ mother blessing the marriage with ‘smiles, almost tears’ and him being ‘pale with inward strife’ makes it seem that Thomas is less to blame for the occurrence of his wedding than his bride but also justifies the sense of regret as well as anger felt by Maude. As well as Thomas’ obvious indecisiveness and worry there are allusions to Nell being fully aware of his half-hearted nature, she explains that she will love him ‘till he loves me best’: the use of a conjunctive shows that Nell understands that Thomas does not love her to the fullest extent but believes that he will eventually come to do so. Finally the scornful comments made by Maude are a progression from her desire to hurt the newly married couple, to acquiescence. Maude returns her ‘share of a fickle heart’ representative of Thomas easily altered affections before stating ‘I wash my hands thereof’ which is the final stage in schism between the two. Rossetti’s use of third-person narrative as well as dialogue allows the poet to tell the story but also sufficiently include character progression.
Form and structure are also an important narrative method employed by Rossetti. Maude Clare is written in the form of a ballad, but not without specific deviations from convention. The poem features an ‘abcb’ rhyming scheme as opposed to a ‘abab’ rhyme scheme, this subtracts from the ordinarily predictable structure
normally found in ballads. In addition the deviation from normality is also clear in the nature of the story itself, ballads tend to be perceived as telling stories of love or fairytale-like stories. Maude Clare does the contrary; love is retained as the main theme around which the events revolve. But rather than the story ending in reconciliation of lovers or in fact the creation of a new romance, Maude Clare ends in a bitter split between former lovers. Structurally the poem is largely chronological but the insertion of flashbacks provides background for the events that occur. Also the random interjection of unnamed characters such as Thomas’ mother allows the reader to understand the goings-on from numerous perspectives and surmise the emotions of characters despite the text being short. Both the form of the poem as a ballad and the chronological order are important methods of Rossetti’s story-telling.
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